Count the Initial Lines in Each Roof Contract Before You Sign

A roof contract often runs longer than the bid that came before it. The bid is usually one or two pages with a total. The contract can add terms, attachments and a scope exhibit, and you are asked to initial some pages and sign others. Before you compare roofers on price, count the pages and the initial lines in each packet you are handed.

Roofer comparison

Start by asking each roofer for the full contract packet, not only the signature page. Ask how many pages it runs, whether the scope is a separate exhibit, and which pages need your initials. Put the three counts side by side. A packet of six pages with initials on the scope and the payment schedule is a different document from one of fourteen pages with initials only on the last sheet. The difference is not automatically a warning sign. It tells you where the terms sit and how much reading you are expected to do before work starts.

Next, check whether the initialed pages match the bid you already have. Compare the square count, the material names, the tear-off line, the disposal line and the total. If the scope names a different shingle line than the bid, or drops the ice and water shield the bid included, your initial accepts the change. Ask the roofer to correct the scope before you initial anything. A corrected page should carry a new date and the same page number as the page it replaces.

Look for attachments the contract mentions but does not include. A line that says see attached scope, followed by a packet without the scope, is a packet with a missing page. Ask for the complete set as one file or one stack, with page numbers printed on every sheet, so you can confirm that nothing is loose.

Compare who signs for each company, too. Some packets have a sales representative sign, some have an owner sign, and some have both. Note the printed name, the company name and the legal entity named at the top of the first page. If the name on the contract does not match the name on the truck or the invoice, ask in writing which company is responsible for the work. The small print under each signature line is part of the document.

What it costs

An initial does not carry a price by itself, but it locks in the numbers printed on the page you initial. Start with the payment schedule. Confirm that the deposit, progress payments and final payment are tied to finished steps, and that the amounts add up to the total on the bid. Then check any unit price page for extra decking, extra layers removed or extra sheet metal. Those rates often sit on a separate sheet from the main scope, and an unsigned rate sheet is easy to overlook.

Ask whether any line is marked as an allowance or a provisional sum. An allowance is a number that stands in for something not yet known, such as replacing rotten decking once the old shingles come off. If the contract includes one, ask what the allowance covers, what happens if the actual cost is higher or lower, and whether you will be asked to initial a change before the extra work is done.

Count the initial lines that sit on pages mentioning added charges. Each initial on a change-related page is a point where you agreed to pay more under some condition. If one packet has three such initials and another has none, the lower bid may simply be asking you to accept more terms later. Compare the number, then compare what each condition says.

Missouri law also draws a line here. Under RSMo 407.725, a roofing contractor is barred from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and is barred from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. If a packet contains language that appears to promise either one, mark it in your copy and ask the roofer to remove it in writing before you initial. Keys documents damage, puts a written scope with photos and measurements in your hands, and attends as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer.

If your municipality requires a permit, the application names the contractor and the scope of work. That application should match the packet you initialed. A mismatch in the square count or the material name is worth a call before the permit is filed, not after the first load of shingles arrives.

What to ask

Write these questions down and send them to each roofer in one email, so every answer comes back in the same form.

• How many pages are in the full contract packet, and which pages need my initials?
• Is the scope a separate attachment, and will you send it with the contract?
• Does the initialed scope match the bid total, the square count and the material names?
• Which page lists any allowance or provisional sum, and what happens if the actual cost changes?
• Which legal company is named on the contract, and does it match the name on the invoice?
• Is each payment tied to a finished step, and does that tie appear on the same page as the amount?
• What happens to the payment schedule if a freeze-thaw delay moves the start into another month?
• Can I receive a clean copy of the complete packet before I sign or initial anything?

Keep the marked copy you wrote notes on, and date it the day you received it. If a roofer's answer is missing a page or contradicts the bid, that gap is the comparison. For a question about the Keys packet, call the office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the full set before you initial.